UK Needs to Revise Defense Plans Amid New Threats – Parliamentarians

The British Parliament Defense Committee urged London to develop new capabilities to face cyberattacks and subversive activities.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The British Parliament Defense Committee on Tuesday called for defense plans in the country to be altered because they no longer address new global threats.

A 52-page report published by the committee states that the United Kingdom "must rebuild its conventional capacities eroded since the Cold War," and develop new capabilities to face cyberattacks and subversive activities.

The threats mentioned in the report include Russia, following February statements by UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon that Russia was a "real and present danger" to the Baltic States.

The Middle East, Africa and South Asia were also named as regions posing increased security challenges.

The report said that new threats could require the UK Armed Forces to be deployed in "a dozen different theaters" simultaneously.

The United Kingdom's previous plans were primarily designed to deal with one problem at a time by "deploying 6,600 soldiers into a single country for a decade."

The House of Commons Defense Committee report also advised that Britain should stick to the NATO target of spending two percent of the country's GDP on the military annually.